Curricular Enhancement Through the Integrated Use of Microcomputers in Introductory Physics

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This project seeks to take advantage of the many ways in which computers can enhance student learning in introductory physics courses, both algebra- and calculus-based. Computers can do much more than act as fancy calculators; they have been utilized as powerful tools in the design of teaching methodologies based on the findings of research in physics education. The department is implementing microcomputers and microcomputer-based laboratory tools that make possible an array of approaches to be integrated into existing physics courses. The objective is to empower students to use concrete experiences to revise preconceptions, construct new understanding, and connect it with mathematical frameworks. Students engage in modeling activities using spreadsheets, and in some cases digitized videos, that reflect a realistic manner of physics research. They explore experimental situations utilizing sensors or probes connected to the computer, which facilitates the analysis by providing instantaneous calculations and real-time graphics, clearly shown to improve student conceptual understanding. They explore some topics through activity-based investigations which help them acquire transferable skills of scientific inquiry. The department is developing some new exercises, but is also adapting many that are already available (mostly from Workshop Physics and Tools for Scientific Thinking) to the specific environment, a midsize undergraduate institution, with some flexibility for individual faculty variations (instructional methods become more effective when they fit faculty styles and when faculty have developed some sense of ownership). The project's efforts will be useful to other institutions with similar characteristics. Students' attitudes toward physics and self-perceptions regarding how their learning abilities are affected by the integrated use of computers are also being assessed.